The Plugable UGA-165 enables multiple monitors with any laptop or desktop (one adapter required per monitor, up to 6). Most people use it to gain a 2nd or 3rd monitor for their laptop. You gain the benefits of USB, including plug-and-play connectivity, thin and flexible cabling, and the ability to connect via USB 2.0 hubs and repeaters. Projectors can be connected with long and flexible USB wiring that doesn’t lose monitor configuration information. Multitask with a dedicated monitor for each document or application.

The adapter works by rendering 2D/3D with your computer’s CPU and GPU, and then compressing and transmitting over USB any pixels that have changed. Dual core or 2Ghz or better CPU recommended. The monitor itself is then constantly refreshed directly from the USB hardware. The adapter package includes a USB 2.0 cable and hardware adapters for the different connector types (DVI to VGA and DVI to HDMI). No power plug is needed – power is provided by USB and the adapter has an LED indicator light.

We often hear customers say “After using multiple monitors, I can’t go back!”. If you’re doing information work — looking at one document while editing another, researching, or generally working on several things at once — it’s indispensable.

Simply drag windows back and forth to make use of all the extra Windows desktop space.

Plugable USB graphics adapters fully support rotation — turn one or both screens to show documents in gorgeous full-page layout (with a monitor stand that’s capable of rotation).

A common setup is to create a beautifully symmetric yet flexible 3 display desktop, combining your laptop display with 2 extra monitors on either side with your laptop’s external graphics port + one Plugable adapter, or with two Plugable adapters to allow easy USB dock/undock.

Hardware Requirements

Supported Operating Systems This device only works with computers running the following operating systems:

Windows 8 (32-bit or 64-bit)

Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)

Windows XP Home or Professional (including Tablet edition) with Service Pack 2 or 3 (no 64-bit support)

Operating System and Drive Details WINDOWS VERSION COMPATIBILITY: Drivers are provided automatically via the Microsoft Windows Update mechanism with approved drivers across for Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8. 64-bit and full Aero support on Windows 7. Windows XP 64-bit not supported. Note that Microsoft limits multiple display support in Windows 7 “Starter” Edition to mirroring screens. Even though drivers are provided automatically, we recommend visiting the Plugable driver webpage for the most recent drivers and other information.

MAC COMPATIBILITY: Mac is not supported due to significant limitations in the operating system.

LINUX COMPATIBILITY: As of Linux kernel 2.6.31, this adapter has open source drivers in the kernel staging tree. As of 2.6.38, the driver was promoted to the main kernel tree. Configuration of X Windows for USB displays is still distribution and scenario dependent, however, and only for very adventurous users. Plugable is involved with Linux development work, see http://plugable.com/category/platform/linux/ for details.

HDMI The HDMI standard is built on DVI. This enables conversion from DVI to HDMI 1.0 with a simple, physical, passive adapter like the one included with the UGA-165. HDMI routed through DVI does not include audio signals, and does not support HDMI content protection. It is suitable for displaying applications on a HDMI monitor and some TVs. It is not for Blu-Ray quality video playback.

HDMI TV Compatibility Most, but not all, TVs are also compatible. The exceptions are TVs that don’t support EDID (which communicates monitor capabilities to the PC) or which require specific higher versions of the HDMI spec, beyond 1.0. Many TVs that have a VGA port in addition to HDMI, assume that computers will use VGA for connectivity rather than HDMI, provide the best results with VGA.

GamingUSB graphics devices, like the UGA-165, are “virtual” devices where much of the heavy lifting is done by the CPU, by hooking into the graphics stack. The DirectX APIs used by games assume direct hardware access (a PCIe graphics card). DisplayLink’s drivers attempt to emulate as much of the functionality as possible, which is why some 3D functionality (like that needed for desktop and apps) works.

We don’t recommend running games with USB graphics, because this emulation cannot be perfect. And even without specific compatibility problems, performance will always be a challenge – the extra CPU work required for USB graphics will be a source of reduced frame rates and problems. Normal desktop and application use are fine because they don’t push the system as hard as 3D games do.

Common problems experienced when trying to run a game on a USB graphics adapter include:

Games not launching

Games crashing

Screen flickering

Screen going black

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the green LED indicate?

The green LED on the adapter indicates that both the hardware and the software involved in the functioning of this device is working properly. It remains steady when nothing is changing on the screen and blinks when data is transferred through the adapter.

The green LED on the adapter does not light up when: 1) The unit does not receive enough power because it is plugged into a port that does not provide the required 500mA of power or because of a failing USB Cable 2) Display to that monitor is disabled 3) The driver is not installed or is corrupted 4) The unit itself has failed.